The Beloved

Description

When Abraham returns home from a journey with his son, his wife is troubled by the boy's state of mind. What took place on the mountain that day is the beginning of a lifetime of suffering for his son and the dawn of a new age for millions. A haunting and heartbreaking twist on the story of Abraham and Isaac, which reminds us that this historic tale of sacrifice began with just one family. The Beloved follows writer Amir Nizar Zuabi's previous successes with I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother and In the Penal Colony. The publication coincided with a co- production by Palestinian theatre company ShiberHur with the Bush Theatre and KVS Brussels.

Amir Nizar Zuabi is an international associate of the Young Vic. His play I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother toured villages and towns in Palestine before playing to packed houses at the Young Vic last January. In 2002 his production Alive From Palestine met with great acclaim at the Young Vic and continues to tour internationally. His other work includes Samson and Delilah (Flanders Opera, Antwerp) and a dramatisation of the epic poem Jidarriya by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (Edinburgh International Festival, Bouffes du Nord and world tour). Before Amir started ShiberHur, he directed at major theatres such as El Hakawati (the Palestinian National Theatre) and Al-Kasabah in Ramallah.

[T]his intense allegorical drama succeeded in creating a provocative and haunting production that crackled with dramatic intensity even as it questioned the sanity and sanctity of people who claim to talk with God. * Theatre Journal * . . . there is both a timeless quality and a flavour of the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict to a show that also has witty magical-realist properties . . . Zuabi's dialogue is capable of great lyrical intensity . . . A very powerful experience. * Independent *